The most common causes of noise pollution are principally machines, vehicles, trains and aircraft. Failing to act to control noise level can lead to a whole host of problems and harmful effects, including hearing loss, stress, hypertension, tinnitus, disturbances with sleep and other unwanted effects.
So how do you go about controlling noise levels? Firstly, you must get the right tools for the job. and the instrument to controlling noise is known as a noise or sound level meter.
Sound level meters
When asked how do you control noise, the simplest answer is to purchase a noise level meter. This vital instrument to control noise is small, hand-held and simple to use. At the top of the sound level meter, is a microphone. The microphone is the most important component of this instrument to controlling noise as this is what samples and measures the sound.
The microphone is deliberately placed away from the body of the noise controlling instrument, to cut out reflections and give as accurate noise measurement and assessment as possible.
Sound levels are measured in decibels (db). When using a sound level meter as an instrument to controlling sound, the meter accurately converts the electrical signal back to a sound pressure. This reading is then displayed in decibels on the screen of the sound level meter.
How do you control noise at work?
In working environments that are, by their very nature noisy, strict noise control strategies need to be in place in order to help protect the hearing of workers in noisy environments and ensure an employer is compliant with Noise at Work Regulations.
Using a noise level meter, accurate measurements of noise being produced at work are made. These measurements can then be used as a guide to what action needs to be carried out to reduce the noise levels in a workplace.
Such actions may include removing the source of the loud noise entirely, replacing noisy equipment with quieter options, redesigning a work space so it comprises of quieter areas and reorganising working patterns so workers are not exposed to dangerously high levels of noise for prolonged periods.
Another solution to controlling noise levels, could be to implement engineering controls. Strategies such as avoiding metal on metal impacts and reducing drop heights, can significantly reduce noise levels. As can adding material to vibrating machine panels to reduce vibration, a technique known as ‘damping’. Loud machinery or components could be isolated from their surroundings, by the likes of flexible couplings or antivibration mounts, in order to control noise levels and help the hearing of those working in the noisy environment be protected.